Device for applying rubber bands



April 1, 1941. w w. CAMP 2,236,936

DEVICE FOR APPLYING RUBBER BANDS Filed Nov. 8, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet l April 1, 1941- w. w. CAMP 2,."." ..'56,9I?-6 DEVICE FOR APPLYING RUBBER BANDS Filed Nov. 8, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1/ F 4 lnven l,

WALTER W. CAMP;

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I tto meys Patented Apr. 1, 1941 UNITED STATES A'lfihl'i" 2,236,936 DEVICE FOR APPLYING RUBBER BANDS Walter W. Camp, C'astorland, N. Y. Application November 3, 1939, Serial No. 303,470

2 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in devices for applying rubber bands, the principal object in view being to provide a practical, easily operated, device for stretching such bands and placing the same around small articles such as boxes, or packages, so as to obviate the arduous performance of such operations by hand.

Another object is to provide a device of the character and for the purpose above set forth which is of simple construction, adapted to withstand continuous and rough usage, and inexpensive to manufacture.

To the accomplishment of the above, and sub ordinate objects presently appearing, a preferred embodiment of my invention has been illustrated I in the accompanying drawings, set forth in detail in the succeeding description, and defined in the claims appended hereto.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of the preferred embodiment of my invention,

Figure 2 is a View in top plan,

Figure 3 is a view in side elevation,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view in vertical section taken on the line 44 of Figure 3 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, and drawn to an enlarged scale, and V Figure 5 is a view in transverse section taken on the line 55 of Figure 1 looking downwardly as indicated by the arrows.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, preferably the operating parts of my improved device are supported by a tripod-like frame comprising rod-like legs I inwardly off-set at their upper ends, as at 2, and secured at the upper extremities thereof, in equi-distantly spaced relation, in a disk-like plate 3 as by nuts l.v The plate 3 is apertured centrally as at 5. A pair of fiat hanger rods 6 depend from the plate 3 in edgewise spacedapart relation, said rods having upward terminals 1 extending through the aperture 5 with cotter pins 8 extending through the same above said plate whereby said rods are suspended from said plate. Shoulders 9 on the rods 6, below the plate 3, prevent upward movement of said rods in the aperture 5. The hanger rods 6 terminate at the lower ends thereof substantially midway of the legs I and support in pendant position a pair of laterally spaced bearing plates Ill secured adrivets l I, said ends of the rods 6 being interposed between said plates ID and thereby spacing the same apart.

The bearing plates ID are of sub- ,i

of the plates ill.

stantially rectangular form with the exception of the upper corners thereof which are beveled, as at l2, for a purpose presently seen.

Interposed between the hanger rods 6 and plates l0 and guided by said rods 8 for vertical reciprocating movement is an operating rod 14 having a ball member IE- fast on the upper end thereofabove the terminals 1 of the rods 6 and also having an enlarged elongated, lower, fiat end it fitting sidewise between the plates ill and having toothed opposite edges ll forming a duplex rack member.

The toothed edges ll mesh with a pair of toothed sector-like ends it, respectively, of a pair of band-stretching and applying fingers ill, the ends it of which are rotatably mounted between the bearing plates H) on opposite sides of the end it of said rod M and adjacent. to the lower corners of said plates Ill. Studs 20 riveted in the plates l0 and extending through the ends 18 of said fingers 59 provide for mounting said fingers. The band-stretching and applying fingers 19 are of sulficient length to extend at the free ends 2! thereof above the top edges of the plates H] for a slight distance and are normally held under the weight of the operating rod l4, and end It thereof, in upstanding position as shown in full lines in Figure 4 with said free ends 2! thereof abutting the outer side edges of the hanger bars l4 whereby the normal position of said fingers l 9 is established, likewise the normal lowermost position oithe operatingbar M.

.In this normal position of said fingers I9, the free ends 2! thereof are located within the lower end of a transversely oval, tubular spool member 22 interposed between the plate 3 and the top edges of the plates H3 in surrounding relation to the hangerbars 6 and the operating bar M and fitting endwise between the plate 3 and said edges The spool member 22 has formed, in the lower end thereof, a pair of opposed inwardly extending slots 23 in the plane of said fingers l9 permitting the free ends 2! of said fingers to pass into and out of said spool member. The spool member is designed to carry a plurality of rubber bands 24 fitting around the same in superposed relation thereon. The bandstretching and applying fingers ii] are each notched, as at 25, in one edge thereof adjacent the free end 2! of the finger, said notches being in the normal position of the fingers opposite the slots 23 and opening outwardly of the latter.

A lever 25 and pull chain 21 are provided on top of the plate 3 to move the operating rod l4 upwardly. -The lever 26 has a forked inner end 28 straddling the operating rod l4 beneath the ball member 15, and is pivoted intermediate the ends thereof, as at 29, on a pair of ears 38 upstanding from said plate 3. The pull chain 21 is connected to the outer end of the lever 26 in any suitable manner and equipped with a finger ring 3|, Obviously, by pulling on the chain 21, the lever 26 may be rockedto elevate the operating rod l4 and suchmovement of said rod will result in rotation of the band-stretching and applying fingers l9 outwardly and downwardly from their described normal position.

A pair of outwardly bowed band-stretching rods 32 are provided upon opposite sides of the pair of bearing plates II], respectively, to depend therefrom for a substantial distance below a the same, said rods having upper ends suitably attached to the upper edges of said plates 10, respectively, and being spaced apart at the lower ends thereof.

Referring now to the operation of the described device. With the parts in the described normal position, the device is stood on a table, or the like, and a package'or box, represented at 33 is placed below the pair of plates l and between the rods 32 in the vertical center of the device approximately. A rubber band 24 is pushed down the spool member 22 over the slots 23. The operating rod I4 is next raised by means of the pull chain 2'! and lever 26. Under such movement of said rod l4 and the toothed edges ll of end It thereof the sector-like ends l8 of the band-stretching and applying fingers H) are rotated oppositely in the directions indicated by'the arrows in Figure 4, i. e., outwardly and downwardly. Under such rotation of said ends l8, said fingers H! are moved to swing the free ends 21 thereof out of the spool member 22 by way of the slots 25. The free ends, 2| as they move out of said slots 23 pick up the rubber band 24- in the notches 25. Under continued rotation of said fingers l9, said band is stretched in opposite directions and carried down over the rods 32 which open up the band so that under such stretching and opening said band is carried downwardly in surrounding relation to the plates H3 until it is positioned around the package 33. At this point, the band-stretching and applying fingers I3 are 'downturned and the position of the notches 25 is reversed from normal, said notches now opening inwardly toward the package 33 so that the rubber band is released to snap around said package. It will of course, be understood, that the notches 25 are so shaped as to retain the band on the fingers I9 until the latter are in the described downturned release position, and that said release position is reached by said fingers as the band is carried beyond the lower ends of the rods 32. Upon release of the pull chain 21 the parts will return to the normal positions described in the foregoing and in a manner which will be clear from the foregoing. In the returned positions of the parts, another band may be pushed down on the spool member 22 for application in the manner described.

The foregoing will, it is believed, suifice to impart a clear understanding of my invention without further explanation.

Manifestly the invention, as described, is susceptible of modification without departing from the inventive concept and right is herein reserved to such modifications as fall within the scope of the subjoined claims.

What I claim is:

1. A device for applying rubber bands to packages and the like comprising a frame including legs adapted to straddle a package and having a top, a pair of band-stretching and applying members" suspended from said top for location over the package, said members being swingably mounted for outward and downward movement about fixed axes to pick up and stretch bands in one direction encircling the same and release said bands around the package, a spindle-like band holder depending endwise from said top in fixed position with a terminal end thereof located over said members and adapted for holding a plurality of bands for manual feeding downwardly thereon into encircling relation to the members, manipulative means for swinging said. members comprising a vertical operating rod extending through said top, and a rack on said rod geared to said members, and operative upwardly by said rod to impart outward and downward swinging movement to said members, and a pair of outwardly bowed band stretching rods extending downwardly from the lower end of said holder for stretching the bands in a direction at right angles to the direction in which they are stretched by said members.

2. A device for applying rubber bands to packages and the like comprising a frame including legs adapted to straddle a package and having a top, a pair of band-stretching and applying members suspended from said top for location over the package, said members being swingably mounted for outward and downward movement about fixed axes to pick up bands encircling the same and release said'bands around the package,

a spindle-like band holder depending endwise from said top in fixed position with a terminal end thereof located over said members and 

